Sequestration Could Effect Gabreski Airport

As sequestration seems to be the road that both President Barack Obama and Congress are going to take, the $85 billion dollar a year cuts that are supposed to hurt the working man, may in fact annoy high flying rich people too, at least the rich people who enjoy flying as a recreational sport and don’t like to land their airplanes at airports that don’t have air traffic controllers.

Congressman Tim Bishop announced that the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton could be closed if sequestration goes through. Gabreski appeared on a list released by FAA of approximately 100 airports across the country that could lose their control towers if the FAA is forced to accept a budget cut of approximately $600 million for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013.

The airport is both a general aviation facility used by businesses, private aviation and air taxi services, as well as hosting an Air National Guard (ANG) base for the 106th Rescue Wing (106 RQW). If the control tower is shuttered, Gabreski would convert to “non tower” operations at all times, meaning that pilots would be solely responsible for the safe operation of aircraft.

“Sequestration would be a self-inflicted wound on our fragile economic recovery and it can be avoided if the Republican leadership in the House would compromise on a balanced solution to our fiscal challenges. The impact will be felt by all Long Islanders if sequestration is allowed to go forward,” said Congressman Tim Bishop. “Gabreski airport is a vital resource both for general aviation and for the homeland security mission of the 106th Air Rescue Wing, and closing the tower could result in delays and potentially unsafe conditions in the air, especially during inclement weather and high aircraft volume,” Bishop said.

While on the one hand I understand that people want an airtraffic controller, I have to be honest with my readers here, I don’t see how in the world any form of our current government, both from the county, to the state to the Federallevel, can continue to survive without budget cuts. Both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for spending well beyond the means of their taxpaying base. Even if taxes were increased to eighty percent of every working person in America, we wouldn’t be able to pay off how big our government is today.

This is just my opinion, and I can’t tell if it is a popular one or not. I can personally live without an air traffic controller if we can’t afford it. Don’t get me wrong, I WANT it, but I also want a mansion on the ocean and a Ferrari, but I can’t afford that, so I don’t get to have that either.